Russian invasion of Ukraine: tanks and rocket attacks on the cities. Breaking news

Supermarket chains Novus and Varus withdraw all Coca-Cola products, since the corporation continues to operate in Russia.  All Coca-Cola products will be removed from the shelves of all chain shops.

Russian troops attacking Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is a war crime, the US Embassy in Kyiv said.

“It is a war crime to attack a nuclear power plant. Putin's shelling of Europe's largest nuclear plant takes his reign of terror one step further,” the statement says.

Photos of the An-225, the Mriya aircraft, one of the largest and most powerful Ukrainian-made aircraft in the world, which was destroyed by the Russian invaders,  have been published on the Internet. The plane was destroyed at Gostomel airport near Kyiv. (PHOTOS)

On Apple Maps, the Russian Ministry of Defence in Moscow has been renamed as “the Ministry of Fascism of the Russian Federation.”

The Verkhovna Rada demands that a no-fly zone be established over Ukraine and peacekeeping forces deployed. A call to protect Ukraine’s civilians from armed attacks of the Russian invaders has been sent to the international organisations and foreign parliaments and governments.

Thousands of Melitopol residents, which has been invaded by Russian soldiers, march through the streets with the Ukrainian flag and chant: "One single cathedral Ukraine" and "Rise, Melitopol!"

Pravda Herashchenko:

Ukrainian artillery attacked the base of the airbourne troups of the Russian Federation. The base was located on the territory of an enterprise, near the village of Kozarovichi, - adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs Anton Gerashchenko reported a few hours ago

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said that there was no objective information confirming Russia's accusations against Ukraine about its alleged attempts to develop nuclear weapons, Interfax-Ukraine reports.

“This issue is completely clear to us. We do not have any information that would cast doubt on Ukraine's compliance with its nonproliferation obligations," he said at a press conference at the IAEA headquarters on Friday.

Adviser to Interior Minister Anton Gerashchenko has published the first list of captured Russian soldiers.

 There will be many more such lists, as well as lists of dead invader soldiers, Gerashchenko said.
 According to him, it was decided to give the captured soldiers to their mothers if they come to Kyiv to get them.
 What do you need to do to get your son back from captivity?
 1. Call the listed phone numbers, go to the Gruz 200 telegram channel https://t.me/rf200_now.
 +380894201860
 +380894201861
 +380894201862
 Or write an email to the following address: [email protected].
 2. Then, if you have received confirmation that your son is in a captivity in Ukraine, you should get to Kyiv.

NATO will discuss the establishment of a no-fly zone over Ukraine which is now being bombed by the Russian troops. This statement was made by José Manuel Albares, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain, the Financial Times reports.

Albares said that NATO foreign ministers are meeting on Friday. According to Albares, a number of possible interventions in the situation will be discussed, in particular, the possible establishment of a no-fly zone. At the same time, this measure remains extremely unlikely, the FT notes.

Ukrainian air defence shot down an enemy Su-25 attack aircraft in the sky over Volnovakha.  The pilot of the attack aircraft was taken away by a invader’s Mi-8 - and it was shot down as well.

The invaders have cut off Vodafone and Kyivstar mobile networks throughout Kherson Region. At the moment, only WiFi works, the Kherson regional state administration has said.

Ukrspecexport, state-owned arms trading company, announced a fundraising campaign to buy weapon for the Ukrainian army that has been resisting the Russian troops. The company posted a corresponding statement on its Facebook page. 

ATO veteran with a call sign Martyn Brest said that Ukrspecexport had signed many contracts and made advance payments, and the weapon was already on the way.  
“We spent all the money we had in our accounts. The war flywheel is picking up speed, and we need money. Urgently,” he said. 
Ukrspecexport bank details:
For individual contributors:
Beneficiary: UKRSPECEXPORT
USREOU: 21655998
IBAN: UA023223130000002600101286329
Purpose: contribution
For legal entities:
BENEFICIARY "UKRSPECEXPORT"
BENEFICIARY’S COUNTRY: UKRAINE
BENEFICIARY’S ADRESS: 36, Dehtiarivska St., Kyiv, 04119
IBAN: UA023223130000002600101286329
BANK OF BENEFICIARY: JSC "THE STATE EXPORT-IMPORT BANK OF UKRAINE"
SWIFT: EXBSUAUXXXX

The Russian helicopter Mi-8 that arrived to rescue the invader pilot outside Volnovakha has been successfully liquidated by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Anton Herashchenko, advisor to the minister of internal affairs, reported.

Danylov: Russia has used 95% of troops and needs urgent pull-up of reserves.

According to him, Russia is facing significant losses in all operational areas - Polessk, Seversk, Slobozhansky, Taury and in the area of the United Forces operation.
"The Ukrainian Army and Territorial Defence forces have so far retaken the tactical initiative, but the enemy is not abandoning plans to encircle the cities of Kyiv and Kharkiv and to reach the administrative borders of Luhansk and Donetsk regions," Danylov said.

On the night of February 28, a Spanish citizen of Russian descent was detained in Przemysl (Poland) on suspicion of espionage. It is reported that he was exposed as a spy of the Main Intelligence Administration of the General Staff of the Russian Federation (GRU). He used the status of a journalist to move freely around Europe and the world, including areas affected by armed conflicts or political tension. 

Kharkiv and Okhtyrka are subjected to constant shelling. The heroic defence of these cities forced the Russian invaders to change the course of the main attack, Oleksiy Arestovych, advisor to the head of the President’s Office, reported. “The defence is holding out… The attention of the international community is focused on Kharkiv and Okhtyrka,” he said. According to Arestovych, the enemy sustains huge losses and is forced to transfer additional reserves there. Otherwise, they could have been transferred to "more dangerous directions, for example, toward Kyiv region."

The heroic defence of Okhtyrka and Kharkiv has firstly forced the enemy to stop, secondly, to change the direction of the main attack, and thirdly, to transfer additional reserves there. Arestovych says: “This is what defence on the ground is doing. I’m asking everyone to hold out—it gives us time for international aid to arrive and sanctions to kick in.” 
In his Telegram channel, Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov assured that Kharkiv is holding out: "A war is going on. We are together. We are holding out. Today, we’re getting and immediately distributing a lot of humanitarian aid... We are doing everything possible—and sometimes, impossible.”

High Representative of the EU Josep Borrell said that any direct threat to Ukrainian nuclear installations on the part of Russia may lead to a catastrophe and supported the convening of the UN Security Council on the back of Russians’ shelling of Zaporizhzhia NPP.

"Russia is deliberately blackmailing the world with a nuclear disaster. Never before has any country tried to blackmail others with a massacre next to a nuclear power plant by engaging in armed hostilities. A single shot fired from a tank, a single missile or air bomb hitting the power plant can result in a horrendous catastrophe," Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to the head of the President's Office, said.

Today, on March 4, the air defence units of the Joint Forces downed another Russian Su-25 fighter jet in the sky over Volnovakha, Donetsk region.

Over the eight days of the war, 28 children were killed and 64 were wounded by the Russian invaders’ weapon, Daria Herasymchuk, an adviser to the President of Ukraine on Children's Rights and Rehabilitation, reported.

Photos of destroyed military equipment and dead bodies of the invaders after the battle in Hostomel last night.

Russian troops have surrounded the television tower in Melitopol. It is under their control, Melitopol City Council reports.

Russia will ramp up its infowar against Ukraine, Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine informs.

“Having failed to achieve its military blitzkrieg objectives, Russia is resorting to overtly terroristic methods of warfare on the territory of Ukraine. Meanwhile, the invaders have been putting much effort into psychological operations”, the statement reads.

Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine warns about multipronged, large-scale fake news barrage that will involve all modern media.

A gun spotter working for the Russian invaders has been detained in Kharkiv region, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine reports. 
The border guards report that inspecting the trunk of a car, they found an AKS-74 rifle, 240 cartridges,  a quadcopter, 50,000 UAH, military ID, passport, and mobile phone. The most recent call history included contact names “Pushka” and “Curator.”

The detained citizen could not explain what he was doing near the checkpoint. The accomplice to criminal activities of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation was handed over to the officers of the Security Service of Ukraine.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham called on the Russians to physically eliminate Russian leader Vladimir Putin, calling him the main cause of the current crisis. He said it on Fox News and then repeated it on Twitter. 

“Is there a Brutus in Russia?  Is there a more successful Colonel Stauffenberg in the Russian military? The only way this ends is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out. You would be doing your country - and the world - a great service,” the senator said.

Is there a Brutus in Russia? Is there a more successful Colonel Stauffenberg in the Russian military?

The only way this ends is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out.

You would be doing your country - and the world - a great service.

— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) March 4, 2022

People of Ukraine!

We survived a night that could have stopped history.  The history of Ukraine.  The history of Europe.

Russian invaders attacked the Zapirizhzhia nuclear power plant.  The largest one in Europe.  It alone could have been like six Chernobyl stations.  Russian tankers knew they were taking fire.  Direct fire - at the plant.  This is terror at an unprecedented level.

There are 15 nuclear units in Ukraine.  And the Russian soldiers should remember exactly Chernobyl disaster.  The world’s tragedy.

Russian people, I want to appeal to you. How is it possible at all? We were fighting together against the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster in '86. You should remember burning graphite scattered by the blast. The casualties. You should remember the glow over the destroyed unit. You must remember the evacuation of Pripyat and the 30km zone. How could you forget that? And if you haven't forgotten, you must not remain silent. You must tell your authorities, go out on the streets and say that you want to live. To live on earth without radioactive contamination. Radiation does not know where the borders of Russia are.

All night long, I was in touch with partners, with the leaders of other countries, for the world to react.  I felt the world leaders were shocked.  The UK is convening the UN Security Council because of this attack. The IAEA is launching the Incident and Emergency Centre on a 24/7 response mode. There needs to be an immediate increase in sanctions against the nuclear terrorist state.  We need an immediate closure of the skies over Ukraine because that is the only way to guarantee that Russia will not at least hit nuclear facilities with missiles and air bombs.

I am grateful to all our heroes from the National Guard who guarded the plant and tried to stop the enemy. I am grateful to the rescuers who put out the fire.  But a lot depends on you, citizens of Ukraine, ordinary people of Energodar.  You understand the threat to the plant better than anyone else. You live there. Near it. And you see the kafirs directly. Chase them away.  Let them know that Energodar is Ukraine. That Ukraine is not a place for nuclear ashes.

Citizens of Ukraine! The enemy has involved an absolute majority of its military potential into our country. Practically the entire Russian army has been thrown to fight against our people. But the heroic resistance of Ukrainians has been saving our country from this invasion for the ninth day already.  Ukrainian cities have not seen such inhuman cruelty since the Nazi invasion.  Chernihiv, Akhtyrka, Kharkiv again, Mariupol.  Targeted destruction of civilian infrastructure.  Murdering people.  Residential areas.  Russian bombs killed 47 people in Chernihiv yesterday alone.  Peaceful people.  Kharkiv... Just destroying Kharkiv with rocket artillery and air strikes.  Russia.  Destroying.  Kharkiv.  How did it happen?  A rocket hit a school building in Zhytomyr this morning.  On children.  This is the reality when "brotherly" Russia comes.

During the talks in Belarus yesterday, we managed to come to an agreement on creating relief corridors in places where people suffer the most. Today, we will see if that agreement works.

Our defenders are inflicting maximum losses on the enemy. We beat them near Mykolaiv. We beat them near Kharkiv. We beat them near Kyiv. The capital remains the key objective for the invaders, but they won’t break us, they won’t break our country. Never. Whatever they do, they keep losing. Because we are at home. We are on our land.

They keep concocting provocations. Now, they are preparing one in Kherson. They want to put on an act that an alleged rally for Russia took place. They will use television to make it seem that Kherson is no longer with Ukraine. I am reminding you that this was how the so-called DPR and LPR began. You already know what happened next. This has to be stopped. Residents of Kherson, show that it is your city. Together, you can thwart any plan of the invaders. Whatever they tell you, do not listen. Listen to your heart. You are Ukrainians.

I call on Kherson residents to cast aside any despair. Ukraine will not give up its land.

We are fighting a formidable enemy. It has more troops and equipment than we do. However, it is light years behind us, normal people that have decency. Show it. Show them our national flag. Show them our national anthem. Show them our national spirit. Make sure that you let the invaders know that they can remain in Kherson only for so long, that they will not be able to capture your city, Kherson—like any other city in our country.

Glory to Ukraine!

"We survived a night that could have stopped the history of Ukraine and Europe". President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s address. (Video)

Polish ambassador has no intention to leave Kyiv, confident that Ukraine’s capital can withstand the attacks of Russian invaders. BuzzFeed News talked to him as he was “sipping a glass of single malt scotch … and shrugging off the missile explosions”.
“[Kyiv] is so heavily defended. There are people on the street I wouldn’t like to meet if I was Russian,” he said. “They may shell, they may bomb, [but Kyiv will not fall.] This will not happen. Kyiv is un-occupiable.”

According to updated information from medical facilities, 47 people were killed yesterday, on 3rd of March, as an aftermath of a Russian aerial bombardment in Chernihiv: 38 men and 9 women.  18 people were rescued.

The speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, has addressed the parliaments, governments and citizens of Europe and the whole world to stop the "nuclear maniac".

"Russian invaders are deliberately shelling the Zaporizhzhya NPP. And this is not an accident. This is a deliberate shelling to cause a disaster on a global scale. Ukrainian Chornobyl 36 years ago became a generalized concept of the global environmental and man-made disaster. So, the Zaporizhzhya NPP is many times more powerful "This shows that Putin's crimes have reached a global scale and threaten the existence of Europe and possibly of humanity," Stefanchuk said.

During the eight days of the war, the losses of the Russian army exceeded 10,000 of killed and wounded, Defense Minister Alexei Reznykov wrote in Facebook.

According to him, elimination of at least one Russian general has been confirmed. "Russian society is beginning to experience and realize these losses," the minister believes.

We already have to count the destroyed Russian armored vehicles not by units, but by battalions and brigades, says Reznykov.

“The Armed Forces received nearly more tanks and armored vehicles as trophies, than were obtained during the last eight years from the Ukrainian defense industry,” he added.

How the night passed in the regions - a report from the Regional State Administrations.

As of the morning of 4 March, the night was relatively quiet in most regions: Rivne, Chernivtsi, Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Poltava, Zhytomyr, Lviv, Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsia, Cherkasy, Khmelnytskyi, Ternopil regions, Volyn and Kirovohrad regions.

In Luhansk region: Severodonetsk was heavily shelled, the city is currently without gas and partially without water supply. There are fires in villages and suburbs.

Donetsk Region: shelling continues throughout the region. The situation remains difficult in Mariupol - the city is currently cut off from communication.

A critical situation in Sumy region. Especially in the Akhtyrka district. Trostyanets is destroyed.

Kherson. There were two powerful explosions in the city centre and on the outskirts overnight. According to preliminary reports, Ukrainian aviation was involved. The city is preparing for provocations from the Russians and fake video attacks.

Mykolaiv region: a lot of enemy equipment throughout the region. There was fighting for Voznesensk.

Kharkiv region: Kharkiv had a night without shelling In the region fighting continues.

Tense situation in Zaporizhzhya region. Invader soldiers are building defences and looting businesses and the population. There was a battle at night in Energodar. As a result of a shell hit, one of the buildings of the Zaporizhzhya NPP training unit caught fire. The fire has now been extinguished.

Chernihiv region: Three air raids in the region and the city at night. Fighting in the outskirts of the city.

In the Kyiv region, the situation is tense in the Buchan district. Fighting near Makarov the city is constantly under fire. Bucha, Irpen, Gostomel: there was fighting at night

Mykhailo Podoliak: “The logic of this war is to increase missile and air strikes on civilian infrastructure, large cities and civilians. Only the closed sky will sharply stop the escalation. It is time for Western partners to take responsibility for ending the war.”

The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02 to 04.03 were approximately:
personnel - 9166
tanks ‒ 251
APV ‒ 939
artillery systems – 105
MLRS - 50
Anti-aircraft warfare systems - 18
aircraft – 33 (to be clarified )
helicopters – 37 (to be clarified )
vehicles - 404
light speedboats - 2
fuel tanks - 60
UAV operational-tactical level - 3
Data are being updated. The calculation is complicated by the high intensity of hostilities.

On the night of March 4 (at about 1:00 a.m. Moscow time), Russian users began complaining about problems with access to independent media sites – Meduza, BBC, Radio Svoboda and Deutsche Welle, many lost access to Facebook and Twitter, as well as to the App Store and Google Play digital stores (the applications themselves are still working). This is confirmed by data from the Down Detector service.
Later, entries about the blocking of Meduza, the BBC and Radio Svoboda appeared in the registry of Roskomnadzor. The reason for restricting access is the same for everyone – “inaccurate information, calls for riots, extremism and participation in illegal mass actions.” Access was restricted due to the decision of the Russian Prosecutor General's Office on February 24, 2022 – on the first day of the war.

Pjotr Vyerko is 81 years old. He has taken up arms and vows to defend his home from Russia's invasion to the very end.

Pjotr Vyerko is 81 years old. He has taken up arms and vows to defend his home from Russia's invasion to the very end. pic.twitter.com/EkqERlgg4S

— DW News (@dwnews) March 4, 2022

An evacuation train departs from Lysychansk at 14:00 today, the Head of the Luhansk regional state military administration, Serhiy Gayday, has informed.
He also said that there might be some changes, so one should keep an eye on reports

The flagship of the Ukrainian Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the frigate Hetman Sahaydachny, which was being repaired in the port of Mykolaiv at the time of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, was put out of action by the crew and shipbuilders and laid on the ground so as not to be seized by the invaders. Dumskaya writes about this with reference to Ukrainian sailors and shipbuilders, Taras Chmut, the head of the Come Back Alive Foundation, confirmed to mil.in.ua.

Today In Zhytomyr a rocket hit School 25, according to city mayor Serhiy Sukhomlin.  Information on casualties and casualties is being clarified.

Dear readers, the LIGA website has been under cyber attacks for more than an hour. But we come back every time to provide you with up-to-date important information.

Citizens of the Czech Republic who go to fight against Russia in Ukraine as volunteers will not be persecuted in their homeland. This was announced last night by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala.
“At a meeting with President Miloš Zeman we agreed that we can guarantee the absence of punishment for people who want to go to Ukraine and fight on the side of Ukraine,” he said.

The morning in Hostomel after the attempted assault – destroyed equipment, bodies of the Russian invaders.

In Chernihiv Region, 203 localities in the region (more than 50,000 subscribers) remain without electricity supply due to military operations.  This was reported by the head of the Chernihiv regional state administration, Vyacheslav Chaus.  Restoration work is being carried out as far as possible.  In addition, 11 fires have been eliminated in the region.  Of these, 10 were caused by shelling.  A total of 34 people have been killed.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia offers mediation during talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Volodymyr Putin.

The Ukrainian army has brought the fight against invaders - aftermath of battles for Irpen and Gostomel.

As of 07:20, the Zaporizhzhiya nuclear power plant site is seized by Russian invaders. This is reported by the State Inspectorate for Nuclear Regulation. It is noted that operational personnel is monitoring the state of power units and their operation.

The Russian "lost" four infantry fighting vehicles, two tanks and one armored infantry vehicle army in the direction of Brovary, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports:

“In the direction of Brovary, the russian invader has minus 4 armoured personnel carriers, 2 tanks and one APC plus for a Ukrainian unit.
The enemy hides his equipment among the houses of civilians. Robbing shops. It's raging. Because he sees his technique, which has become scrap metal, and knows that the same fate awaits him!
Glory to Ukraine!”

The Czech government will donate arms and ammunition worth 17 million korunas (over $730,000) to Ukraine, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said.

Vláda dnes schválila převod vojenského materiálu v hodnotě 17 milionů korun Ukrajině. Jedná se o dar od českých zbrojařů.

Také jsme schválili možnost bezplatného převodu zásob ze státních hmotných rezerv pro humanitární pomoc.

— Petr Fiala (@P_Fiala) March 3, 2022

Operational situation in Ukraine on 4 March - information from the General Staff of the Ukrainian armed forces

On the Volyn direction, the enemy with the forces of two BTGr (battalion tactical groups) has taken up defence in the Polessk and Kukharev districts. It is possible that the invader will carry out armed provocations on the border in order to draw the Belarusian army into the war against Ukraine.

In the Polissya direction, a grouping of Kafirs with up to fifteen BTGr forces is conducting an offensive operation in the Kozarovichi, Vyshgorod, Fastov, Obukhov area; concentrated efforts are in the direction of Byshev, Ukrainka.

In fighting for the borders in the area of Polissia, Kukharev, Borodyanka, Byshev, Horenichi, Demidov, the enemy partly lost offensive potential. Main enemy forces are blocked and stopped in Makarov area. The occupiers withdrew from Bucha and the Gostomel airfield.

On the Seversk direction, a grouping of Central Military District troops with up to fourteen BTGr, as well as the 14th Army District of the Russian Northern Fleet, are conducting an offensive operation in the Oster, Zazimye; Berezan, Vishenki bands, concentrating efforts in the direction of Kyiv. At the same time, the enemy is regrouping in order to continue the offensive towards Brovary.

In the Slobozhansky direction, a grouping of ZVO troops with up to sixteen BTGr is conducting an offensive operation, concentrating efforts in the direction of Novomoskovsk. It blocks Kharkiv from the north. Seized Balakleya. The enemy was unsuccessful in Akhtyrka and concentrated his main forces near Gadyach and Zinkyv.

In the Donetsk direction, the enemy grouping of the First and Second Army Corps, reinforced by seven BTGr from the 8th Army of the Russian Armed Forces, continues offensives to develop tactical success in the Novoaydarsk, Volnovakha and Mariupol directions and has reached the village of Novoaleksandrivka. Having a significant advantage in equipment, the enemy has encircled Mariupol.

In the Luhansk direction, the Kafirs are fighting in the direction of Starobelsk.

On the Tauris direction, the enemy with up to fifteen BTGr has concentrated its efforts in the direction of Mykolaiv-Voznesensk. After regrouping and entering part of the operational reserves as part of the BTGr, it continues its offensive against Zaporizhzhia, and part of its forces against Mariupol. The Russian Armed Forces' airborne assault units are noted to have entered the operation in the direction of Mykolaiv.
The occupants were stopped in the Mykolaiv direction, but had partial success in the direction of Voznesensk. The movement of a large number of vehicles from the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea, where Kafirs are transporting criminals from prisons to organize unrest in Mykolaiv Region, was noted.

In the Black Sea, a naval group of Russian invaders has withdrawn from naval bases with the task of engaging the surface forces of a group of dissimilar forces of the Ukrainian navy.
At the same time, the enemy continues to prepare for the landing of maritime landing troops in the areas of the Gulf and Chernomorsk. The groups are covered by a detachment of fire support ships and a missile boat strike group. The involvement of Su-24M bombers and dropping of RBK-500 cluster bombs was recorded to suppress the Ukrainian anti-submarine defence system on the Black Sea coast. Su-30SM fighters provided cover.

The General Staff assures that the enemy has losses in all directions, demobilized Russians surrender and drop their equipment.